Saint Michael carries in his left hand the scales by which he
weighs men's souls
May
Prayer Strengthen us for the
Spiritual Battle we are told about in the Letter to the Ephesians:
'Draw Strength from the Lord and from His Mighty Power' (Ephesians
6:10). The Book of Revelation refers to this same Battle, recalling
before our eyes the Image of Saint Michael the Archangel (Revelation
12:7). Pope Leo XIII certainly had a very Vivid Recollection of this
scene when, at the End of the Last Century, he introduced a Special
Prayer to Saint Michael throughout the Church. Although this Prayer
is no longer recited at the end of Mass, I ask everyone not to
forget it and to recite it to obtain help in the Battle against
Forces of Darkness and against the Spirit of this World.
Pope John Paul
II
The Prayer to Saint Michael
Saint Michael the Archangel,
Defend us in Battle; be our
Protection against the Wickedness and Snares of
the Devil. May God rebuke him, we Humbly
Pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the
Power of God, Thrust into
Hell
Satan and all the other Evil Spirits who wander throughout the World seeking the
Ruin of
Souls.
Amen
How the Prayer to Saint Michael Came to be Written
Pope Leo XIII, realizing by
Divine Enlightenment the present and futureStruggles of the
Church against the
Powers of Hell, felt convinced that through the intervention of Saint Michael,
Hell would be
Conquered, and the Church restored to
Peace and
Liberty. He therefore composed a
Prayer in
honor of the Warrior Archangel, and ordered it to be recited daily after
Low Mass in all
the Churches throughout the
Christian World.
This is how this Prayer came to be written: It is said that one day having celebrated the
Holy Sacrifice, the aged
Pontiff Leo XIII was in conference with the Cardinals. Suddenly
he sank to the floor in a deep swoon. Physicians who hastened to his side feared that he
had already Expired, for they could find no trace of his pulse. However, after a short
interval the Holy Father rallied, and opening his eyes exclaimed with great emotion:
"Oh what a horrible picture I was permitted to see!" He had been shown in-Spirit
the Tremendous Activities of the Evil Spirits and their
Ravings against the
Church. But in
the midst of this Vision of Horror he had also beheld
Consoling Visions of the
Glorious
Archangel Michael, who had appeared and cast
Satan and
his Legions back into the
Abyss of Hell. Soon afterward he composed the well-known
Prayer.
We know that the
Gates of Hell shall never
prevail against the Church, for
Our Lord has promised to be with
Her till the
End of Time,
but we must do our part in defending Her cause.
God might cast the
Angels down
to
Hell by a Single
(1) Act of
His will, but
He chose rather to send against
themHis Armies of Loyal Spirits, under the
Leadership of the great
Saint Michael. So too, in the present
Critical Times, He could confound the
Enemies of the
Church by merely
Willing to do so.
But He Wills, rather, that we should Cooperate in
Her Defense, under
the Leadership of the
great Prince of the Heavenly Hosts.
May
Prayer Strengthen us for the
Spiritual Battle we are told about in the Letter to the Ephesians:
'Draw Strength from the Lord and from His Mighty Power' (Ephesians
6:10). The Book of Revelation refers to this same Battle, recalling
before our eyes the Image of Saint Michael the Archangel (Revelation
12:7). Pope Leo XIII certainly had a very Vivid Recollection of this
scene when, at the End of the Last Century, he introduced a Special
Prayer to Saint Michael throughout the Church. Although this Prayer
is no longer recited at the end of Mass, I ask everyone not to
forget it and to recite it to obtain help in the Battle against
Forces of Darkness and against the Spirit of this World.
Saint Michael the Archangel,
Defend us in Battle; be our
Protection against the Wickedness and Snares of
the Devil. May God rebuke him, we Humbly
Pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the
Power of God, Thrust into
Hell
Satan and all the other Evil Spirits who wander throughout the World seeking the
Ruin of
Souls.
Pope Leo XIII, realizing by
Divine Enlightenment the present and future
Struggles of the
Church against the
Powers of Hell, felt convinced that through the intervention of Saint Michael,
Hell would be
Conquered, and the Church restored to
Peace and
Liberty. He therefore composed a
Prayer in
honor of the Warrior Archangel, and ordered it to be recited daily after
Low Mass in all
the Churches throughout the
Christian World.
We know that the
Gates of Hell shall never
prevail against the Church, for
Our Lord has promised to be with
Her till the
End of Time,
but we must do our part in defending Her cause.
God might cast the
Angels down
to
Hell by a Single
(1) Act of
His will, but
He chose rather to send against
them
His Armies of Loyal Spirits, under the
Leadership of the great
Saint Michael. So too, in the present
Critical Times, He could confound the
Enemies of the
Church by merely
Willing to do so.
But He Wills, rather, that we should Cooperate in
Her Defense, under
the Leadership of the
great Prince of the Heavenly Hosts.